Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/756468
82 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 82 CINEMONTAGE / Q4 2016 attempting this kind of merger did not have an easy time of it. With threats, accusations and lawsuits, it seemed they could only be brought together kicking and screaming. Ron impressed on us the importance of avoiding this kind of confrontation; he insisted that a national Editors Guild should show a unified and positive face to the world and that our negotiation needed to proceed in this spirit. He took the lead, traveling back and forth across the country to address the concerns of both sides and iron out our differences. The merger was ultimately approved by an overwhelming majority of both memberships, becoming the successful organization we envisioned it to be, when it took place November 2, 1998. Now, 18 years later, it remains so. Before the merger, the East Coast members had little awareness of the dire straits that Local 771 had fallen into. The number of editing jobs in New York was at a historic low. As a result, our membership decreased, dues collections dropped off, and it became difficult to keep the Guild functioning properly. We were facing drastic cutbacks in member services or, even worse, bankruptcy. My personal interest was for the very survival of an editors union in New York. Today, the situation is a 180-degree turnaround from 20 years ago. Editing jobs are at an all-time high and membership rolls are up. Most of us are aware that the New York State Production Tax Credit program has been the linchpin for spurring the increase in film and television production in the city, but there is less awareness of our Guild's lobbying effort to create these tax credits and keep them in place. Ron supported us every step of the way. He got us the resources we needed to take the fight to Albany. We hired lobbyists. We marched through the halls of government making our case and got legislators to listen to us. This program has created jobs for our members in ways we could never have dreamed two decades ago. These great results led Ron to a similar effort in California last year, also with great results. On behalf of the Eastern Region, I thank you, Ron, for all the work you did on our behalf, for putting our Guild back together and for making it a success. I wish you a happy and rewarding retirement. Louis Bertini, MPSE Motion Picture Editors Guild Second Vice President, 2008-present Eastern Region Representative, 1999-2007 n One morning in 2000, I got a surprise wake-up call from Ron Kutak. He said I needed to come to the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers as soon as possible and represent my local during contract negotiations. I was President of the Story Analysts, Local 854, which had no business manager at the time. Although I'd previously met Ron through a story analyst friend, this was the first time I would witness him in action, as he had agreed to represent our local in negotiations. To see Ron in that world was a privilege, especially for a noob like me. He was intelligent, savvy and strong-willed. And he listened. Several months later, when then-IA President Tom Short merged the smaller Hollywood locals, the story analysts lobbied to join the Editors Guild. (Both crafts work in storytelling; the analyst deconstructs screenplays before production, the editor constructs movies and television afterwards.) I solicited Ron's advice before approaching the Editors Guild Board. Fortunately, they turned out to be sympathetic, and I began 15 years on the Guild Board as the story analyst representative. In subsequent years, when this inclusiveness and generosity of spirit was repeated with other locals, I was now on the other side of the table. Ron presented each case with compassion for the requesting local, but also with an objective evaluation of what it would mean for the Guild membership. He frequently championed the underdog. As I wrapped my head around the